November 2, 1999 - The Battle Of Los Angeles

It's a double release day! On the same day as my last album and three and a half years since "Evil Empire", Rage Against The Machine released their third album "The Battle Of Los Angeles" on November 2, 1999. It's another long gap between albums by Rage, but they are still playing the same rap-metal style and they haven't lost a beat. Let's check out the latest from Rage Against The Machine!

The album kicks off with "Testify" and Tom Morello leads the way with a typically atypical guitar tone that is pretty fast and sounds pretty cool. Brad Wilk plays some solid drums and they kick into a nice groovy chorus riff that is quite catchy and solid. Tim Commerford plays some great bass in the verse while Zack de la Rocha raps nicely overtop. After a couple rounds they play a new bridge riff that sets the stage for a Morello guitar solo and he plays a cool and crazy-sounding solo before they nicely bring it back for a final chorus. It's easy to see why this was such a succesful single as it's very catchy and got a bouncing and groovy main riff. A fine opener for sure! Up next was the album's biggest single "Guerrilla Radio" and Morello plays a simple but catchy guitar riff that Commerford and Wilk nicely build around to complete the catchy chorus riff. The verse has Morello playing some cool and crazy guitar and Commerfors plays some great groovy bass while de la Rocha nicely raps overtop. Zack sounds good in the chorus as well and it's hard not to sing along to "turn that shit up". After another pretty solid verse and chorus Morello delivers one of his crazy solos that isn't too complicated but does sound pretty cool and then they finish things off nicely with a new heavy riff that ends abruptly. A pretty good 1, 2 punch! Track 3 is "Calm Like A Bomb" and Commerford starts us off with some cool bass before the rest of the band comes crashing in with a crazy main riff that words can't properly describe, it's pretty insane! Zack raps nicely overtop but the guitar and bass both sound pretty awesome. The chorus is super catchy and cool as well with another groovy riff and the fact that this might be the best song so far is really saying something! After another round it's solo time and Morello blows your mind with another unique and cool solo. They are on top of their game so far! The next track is "Mic Check" and Morello plays a light, almost haunting guitar riff that goes well with Commerford's distorted bass for an interesting main riff. De la Rocha is the focal point on this one as he spits out some long and fast verses. The chorus is not one of their best, but the guitar solo might be one of Morello's best as he plays a really awesome and insane sounding solo on this one. Track 5 is the third and final single "Sleep Now In The Fire" and Morello leads the way with a pretty catchy guitar riff that Commerford and Wilk fill in nicely. De la Rocha raps a solid verse but the music is pretty dull for these guys. The opening riff is a catchy chorus riff, but it's also not one of their best and I'm surprised this one was chosen as a single. Morello rips off another pretty wicked solo, and the ending is pretty heavy which helps this song out a bit. Up next is "Born Of A Broken Man" and the verse is very light and atypical for Rage but Zack sounds pretty epic whisper singing overtop. The chorus is more typical Rage with a nice heavy guitar riff leading the way and some catchy bass by Commerford. I like the switch from the quiet verse to the loud chorus and it's pretty epic chorus that you don't mind that they play it a lot. Track 7 is "Born As Ghosts" and Commerford comes in and out with crazy sounding bass in the verse while de la Rocha raps overtop. The chorus is heavier and louder and better in my opinion, the verse grows dull the more you hear it repeat. Morello delivers another pretty awesome guitar solo, each one is just so unique and different and this one is another coop one for sure. Despite the solo I'd say it's one of the album's weaker tracks, but it's still solid enough. The next track is "Maria" and Morello plays some really high-pitched and trippy guitar in the  verse while Commerford carries things with some pretty cool bass. Zack raps nicely along and the chorus is nice and loud and catchy with Morello playing some cool guitar. After another round Morello delivers one of his best guitar solos, and that's saying something. It sounds so insane and all over the place and unlike anything you've heard before. It flows perfectly into a final chorus as well and this is probably my favourite song on the album! Track 9 is "Voice Of The Voiceless" and Morello plays some more crazy, computer-y guitar, Wilk starts up a nice drum beat and then the guitar and bass kick in for loud chorus riff. The computer-y guitar continues in the verse and it sounds so insane, it's crazy that that is a guitar! Zack raps overtop, but it's the music that draws all my attention, and rightly so! The chorus is a catchy headbanger and it's an interesting combo of verse and chorus. This sums up this whole song, it's only two and a half minutes, but it was interesting for sure! Up next is "New Milennium Homes" and Commerford leads the way with a nice bass riff that Morello copies for a repetitive but decent riff. Zack raps a nice verse overtop some catchy guitar by Morello and things sound funky and cool. Morello delivers another phenomenal guitar solo that is so funky and awesome, it's also one of his best solos I think! All in all it's a pretty sweet song! Track 11 is "Ashes In The Fall" and Morello leads the way with a pretty cool and catchy guitar riff. The rhythm section quietly and nicely falls in and Zack starts to rap overtop some crazy guitar that sounds like shooting stars going off, or something insane! Everything sounds really epic as things seem to slowly and slowly build until it gets quiet and resets to the beginning. Zack yells a nice new verse and Morello takes off with some cool new guitar in a pretty sweet new part, then things fall right into place. The ending to the song is a little anticlimactic and uninspiring, but most of it was pretty solid. The final song on the album is "War Within A Breath" and Zack leads a solid verse overtop some more interesting guitar by Morello. Zack yells nicely in the heavy chorus as Morello and Commerford sync up for a loud and heavy chorus riff. There's no crazy solo on this song, but it's solid the whole way through and Morello ends things with pretty interesting feedback.

That is the end of "The Battle Of Los Angeles" and I thought it was a pretty good album! Tom Morello plays so much unique guitar and Tim Commerford is a wonderful bassist to back him and they drive most of these songs. I think it's easily better than "Evil Empire" but also definitely not as good as their self-titled debut. As always, it's a fresh and interesting album by Rage Against The Machine!